Album Review

Released in 2005, Nile is the fourth album from the Afro-German reggae artist Patrice. Unlike his previous release, the more traditional Silly Walks Meets Patrice, Nile bends the rules, adding downtempo and pop flavors to its reggae base. Lending a hand are the production team of Matt Kent and Cameron McVey, who previously worked with Massive Attack and Neneh Cherry. Climbing all the way to number four on the German album charts, this is also Patrice’s commercial breakthrough.

Biography

Born: 09 July 1979 in Kerpen, Germany

Genre: Reggae

Years Active: '90s, '00s

Born to a Sierra Leonean father and a German mother in a town outside Cologne, Germany, in July 1979, Patrice Bart-Williams grew up listening to Burning Spear, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, and Bob Dylan, first writing his own songs when he was 12. He spent his teen years playing with various bands, including the Afro-beat/reggae group Bantu, through which he met Matthias Arfmann, who produced his debut EP, Lions, which came out in 1999. His combination of reggae, soul, and folk attracted attention from...